Stuart Walker's gruesome death

Stuart Walker murder investigation launched

Stuart Walker from Cumnock in Ayrshire in Scotland was found dead on Sunday after being tied to a lamp post and set on fire.

The Guardian reports that Walker’s body was discovered by police who described him as having “horrible injuries.” Walker had reportedly been out on the town Saturday night and police are now trying to trace Walker’s final moments leading up to his death.

One local resident was quoted as saying, “There was a disturbance last night in the town near the industrial estate involving young people and this could be linked to this man’s death. We have been told that the victim was tied to a lamp-post and then they tried to set him on fire. Some people are saying that they managed to burn him but not completely – and that he may have been beaten to death.”

Although The Guardian reported on Sunday that police were searching for a motive, Walker’s name has taken over Twitter, as users tweet that he was killed for being gay. One post, reading, “28 year old gay man tied to a lamppost and burnt to death in Scotland. I have actually lost faith in all of humanity,” has been retweeted well over 100 times. “#RIPStuartWalker” has also topped the trending topics list. Several groups have also sprung up on Facebook in memory of Walker.